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[Crossposted to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.admin.general, & lugnet.announce;
followups to lugnet.robotics]
Fred G. Martin[1] of the MIT Media Lab[2] has expressed interest in hosting
the Handy Board[3] mailing list[4] as a real newsgroup on LUGNET[5]. Though
the Handy Board is not specifically designed for working exclusively with
LEGO elements, it has a strong following among robotics hobbyists, many of
whom do incorporate LEGO elements into their work. A recent Handy Board
Expansion Board[6], for example, supports 4 inputs for active LEGO sensors,
and the Handy Board itself is compatible with 9v LEGO motors. Several
certified LEGO fanatics here also own Handy Boards. :-)
As part of the ongoing mission statement of LUGNET to "enrich the online
experience for the LEGO enthusiast in a growing number of new ways,"[7]
we (that is, Fred and I) have met and believe that this would make an
excellent addition to the lugnet.robotics.* newsgroup hierarchy, as it would
increase the Handy Board's exposure to the outside world (the LEGO community
at large, and the robotics community in particular) and vice-versa. Fred is
also very excited about the Handy Board list gaining real threading and
searching via news and web access.
If we go ahead with this, there will be a lugnet.robotics.handyboard group
which is gatewayed with the existing Handy Board mailing list for a two-way
message exchange, and Fred will point any new people wandering in to the
LUGNET sign-up rather than the existing listserv signup, as he would prefer
a gradual migration away from the current listserv. We will also start the
new newsgroup out with the full 6000-message archive of the Handy Board
list.
Does anyone see major problems with this? It will mean some number of
non-LEGO people entering our community, but from what I've seen on the
current Handy Board mailing list, these people are mainly very mature
adults, and many of these folks may already be LEGO fans but just not know
it yet. :)
BTW, the Handy Board isn't your average run-of-the-mill device for hobbyists
that just happens to be mildly related to LEGO. It's a very special device
because it was designed by the same people who designed the MIT Programmable
Brick[8], the Mini Board[9], Crickets[10], and related research, one or more
of which ultimately inspired[11] LEGO MINDSTORMS[12].
Finally, it should be noted that Dr. Fred Martin, a research scientist at
the MIT Media Lab, is not associated with LUGNET; similarly, the Handy Board
is not associated with or endorsed by with the LEGO Group.
--Todd
Footnotes:
[1] http://www.media.mit.edu/~fredm/
[2] http://www.media.mit.edu/
[3] http://el.www.media.mit.edu/projects/handy-board/
[4] http://el.www.media.mit.edu/projects/handy-board/maillist/
[5] http://www.lugnet.com/
[6] http://el.www.media.mit.edu/projects/handy-board/hbexp30/
[7] http://www.lugnet.com/admin/plan/2.html
[8] http://el.www.media.mit.edu/projects/programmable-brick/
[9] http://www.media.mit.edu/~fredm/papers/mb/
[10] http://www.media.mit.edu/~fredm/projects/cricket/
[11] http://www.media.mit.edu/~fredm/mindstorms/
[12] http://www.legomindstorms.com/
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Message has 5 Replies:
 | | Re: Handy Board newsgroup
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| With 12 footnotes(1) in the proposal, it's difficult to see how I could be against this, so naturally I vote YES. Anything that increases MIT-GP communication is a plus, they have the best toys. 1 - LUGNETter inside joke. (...) Larry Pieniazek (...) (25 years ago, 5-Sep-99, to lugnet.robotics)
| | | Re: Handy Board newsgroup
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| I vote a resounding YES if, and only if, Dr. Martin will give us a firm publication date for "Robotic Explorations: An Introduction to Engineering and Design". - Nick - (...) (25 years ago, 5-Sep-99, to lugnet.robotics)
| | | Re: Handy Board newsgroup
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| (...) Yes, I support this. One less-obvious benefit is that having this discussion here should decrease the feeling shared by some that there is an unfilled void. Many have complained that the RCX brick has "only" 3 inputs and 3 outputs, and (...) (25 years ago, 7-Sep-99, to lugnet.robotics)
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